In Praise of Fido.

Friends come in many different shapes and sizes.  There is your best friend, that can go back as far as your childhood years, someone you've shared secrets and memorable moments with ever since elementary school.  There is your good friend, someone you're very comfortable with and trusting.  Your cool, just-hang-out friends.  The distant friends.  The back-stabbers.  The ex-friend-now-enemy.  And, last but not least, your furry four-legged friend who's loyalty and companionship can make the saddest of hearts happy, the coldest of hearts melt, and shed sunlight and smiles on the worst days you've ever had.

8:00 am.  Sunlight spills through the pulled-back curtains of your room.  The scent of morning dew and fresh pancake stirs you, but not as much as Fido jumping on your bed and licking your cheek.  Waking up so early is a drag, especially on a Sunday morning, but you of all people cannot deny Fido his daily walk.  He looks at you with such warm brown eyes, happy hopeful eyes, puppy-dog eyes, and now ask yourself—how could you ever resist?

6:00pm.  Monday afternoon.  You're tired and feeling low in spirits.  You've had a tough day at work, thanks to your boss who did nothing but get on your damn case.  You could use a beer or two, but there aren't any in the fridge.  Just then, Fido comes bounding towards you to say 'hello', like he always do; like you always count on him to.  Tired, you ignore him.  Persistent, he whimpers; the tail never still, it is always wagging.  You're not really in the mood, but that's until he comes back with a soggy tennis ball in his mouth and the next thing you know it, you've been sweetly tricked into playing fetch with him.

11:30 pm.  Your window is wide open to let the cool midnight breeze whisk through your room.  The moon is an astral figure high in the velvety sky; a pale, porcelain face with a resonating silver glow, like something you'd read about in a fairytale.  It's been a pleasant day overall, but reading a few chapters of that novel has gradually lulled you to sleep.  The novel is set aside.  The lamp clicks off.  The covers are drawn over to tuck yourself in.  Your eyelids grow heavier, swallowed by the darkness.  The sudden shift in your mattress does not even startle you one bit.  It circles once, then twice, then another time once more just for good measure, before flopping down and resting against the curve of your leg.  You smile to yourself, with good old Fido by your side, drifting into the realm of dreams.

Owning a pet can be a gratifying and sometimes even life-changing experience.  The special bond that some owners and their pet companions have are heart-warming and cherishable.  Your pet may not have rescued you from a fire by barking in alarm, or tackled an armed and potentially dangerous stranger in your defence during the late hours of the night, or even stayed by your side protectively as someone went to call for help—but, there is one thing that all dogs have in common, and it's their ability to love unconditionally.  Although your pet may not be the classy Lassie, the fearless Balto, or honorably courageous Rin Tin Tin, he is still, at the end of the day, your loyal friend, your loving bundle of joy (no matter how many rolls of tissue or pairs of socks he ruined), your silver-lining in a dark cloud.  We find angels in the most unlikeliest of places, and that's a fact.